Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| naranja | /naˈɾanxa/ | feminine |
| china | /ˈt͡ʃina/ | Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, feminine |
The word refers to the citrus fruit. It can also be used as an adjective to describe something that is the color of the fruit, such as anaranjado or naranja.
Which one should you use?
While naranja is the standard term for the fruit, china is used to refer to the orange in specific Caribbean regions.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, china is commonly used to refer to the orange fruit. Additionally, in Cuba, the phrase jugo de china is used to mean orange juice.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun naranja is feminine. To form the plural, use naranjas. In the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, the plural of the regional term is chinas.
How do you pronounce it?
/naˈɾanxa/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Because naranja is a feminine noun, you should use the feminine article la instead of the masculine article el when referring to the fruit.
When do people say it?
In some Latin American countries, particularly Mexico, the word mandarina is used to refer specifically to a mandarin.
Did you know?
- The word china has multiple origins, and in some contexts, it is derived from the Quechua word for 'female'.
- In the Caribbean, calling an orange a china could cause confusion in other Spanish-speaking countries where the word only refers to a person from China.
Examples in context
- Mi camisa es naranja.My shirt is orange.This sentence shows how to use naranja as a color.Tatoeba #5140940 by don_ramon, translation #4308370 by Wuzzy
- La naranja es naranja.The orange is orange.This sentence uses both naranja as a noun and as a color.Tatoeba #13595770 by Seael, translation #5257025 by solejar
- ¿Querés jugo de naranja?Would you like some orange juice?This sentence uses naranja to describe the type of juice.Tatoeba #2117582 by hayastan, translation #1886416 by CK
- Ayer compré unas naranjas bien jugosas para el postre.Yesterday, I bought some juicy oranges for dessert.
- 111 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Daniel are preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
- MaríaDaniel, ¿puedes pelar una naranja para mí?Daniel, can you peel an orange for me?
- DanielClaro, ¿quieres que la corte en trozos?Sure, do you want me to cut it into pieces?
- MaríaSí, por favor, me encanta la naranja fresca.Yes, please, I love fresh orange.
- DanielAquí tienes tu naranja, María.Here is your orange, María.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “orange” translations and entries naranja, china, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries china, naranja, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
